Houston Mayor Annise Parker as well as the Obama administration are fighting to get the Democrat-backed version of the Violence Against Women Act passed. (Nick De La Torre/Houston Chronicle)

The Obama administration and 60 mayors, including Houston Mayor Annise Parker and Laredo Mayor Raul G. Salinas, have denounced the House version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization for failure to include provisions that would better protect and serve native Americans, LGBT couples and undocumented immigrants.

The act, which was first passed in 1994, works to protect women from various forms of abuse. Last week, the House Judiciary Committee passed the bill in a nearly partisan vote, with most Republicans voting for and all Democrats against.

In a letter addressed to House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, members of the U.S. Conference of Mayors said they were “greatly concerned” that the House bill did not provide enough protection for undocumented immigrants and Native Americans, and encouraged the House to follow the lead set by the Democratic Senate, who passed their version of the act and the end of last month.

The mayors of Boston, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as Port Arthur, also signed.

The Obama administration also urged the House to “find common ground” with the Senate-passed bill. Although the bill passed in the Senate with some Republican support, including Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. All 31 “no” votes were from Republican males, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn.

Although the general gist of both bills is the same, there are a few key differences.

The House bill makes greater use of “U visas,” a legal way for undocumented immigrants to stay in the country while assisting police in the capture and prosecution of their attackers.

The House bill allows tribal authorities to have special criminal jurisdiction over non-Indians in certain cases, such as those where a person on the reservation was sexually assaulted by someone who was not a part of the tribe.

The House bill prevents organizations that give grants through the VAWA from discriminating against LGBT couples or organizations serving them.

Salinas said that, as a mayor, he is “right in the trenches” to see the effect the legislation has had on the community, especially among undocumented immigrants who are afraid going to the authorities might lead to their own deportation.

“We’re just a few feet from the border,” Salinas said. “Women become more vulnerable and targets for domestic violence and they are threatened by assailants to report them to immigration.”

The mayors are not alone in their concern for the bill. Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican from Humble, was the only Republican to vote against the bill in committee because he was concerned the language would prevent undocumented immigrants from reporting crime committee against them to the police, according to Poe’s press secretary, Shaylyn Hynes.

While both sides have repeatedly claim the issue is bipartisan, the passage of the bills has met resistance on both sides. The House bill was passed through the Judiciary Committee by a largely partisan vote, with the exception of Poe. And while the U.S. Conference of Mayors is nonpartisan, both Parker and Salinas are members of the Democratic Party.